Mike Royko on Macintosh:
Mike apparently, and justifiably, loved his Mac experience. Excerpts from
his columns follow and each entire column is linked to the date it appeared.
While the Chicago
Tribune site did a great job of honoring him, they failed to include
these "MacLover" columns in their archives.
3/28/95 "Want a computer? Take it to
the Macs."
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Of course, there is another question: Do you really need any kind of computer?.
Probably not. Families have survived for centuries without their own spreadsheets,
database or collection of fonts.
-
But that doesn't matter. We're talking about stuff. If we bought only what
we really needed and didn't load up on a lot of new stuff, the economy
would collapse.
-
So if you have a craving for stuff - and what decent American doesn't?
- get a Mac and you won't be sorry. Just think: You can become a nerd without
having to learn to talk like one.
9/27/95 "No thrills, no agony by missing wagon
on Windows 95"
-
So my calculated risk paid off. I have not experienced the promised joy
and fulfillment.
-
But at least my eyes are not twirling like pinwheels.
-
I'll just have to stick with my other computer-the Mac that I've mentioned
in the past.
-
It hasn't made me the happiest fellow in cyberspace, but when I turn it
on it always works, and it easily and gracefully does everything that it
promises to do.
-
I wonder why a smart fellow like Bill Gates hasn't thought of something
like that
12/12/95"Think it's time you entered
cyberworld?"
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So I will offer my final piece of advice for those who must have a computer
to call their own.
-
Unless you are already an experienced user, save yourself a lot of hair-pulling
grief and buy a Mac. It does everything easier and better than all those
other clunky things that have made con man Bill Gates rich. Anyone who
tells you otherwise is a sadist, a masochist, or both.
-
It might not change your life, but you won't be banging your head against
a wall either.
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Well, just a little bit.
11/21/96 "Caution: Buying a Computer
is Only the Beginning"
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Here is a Christmas shopping tips column for those who are plunging headlong
into the world of home computing.
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First tip: Be prepared to go nuts. I don't care if you get a Windows PC
(the most widely used) or a Mac (by far, the easiest to operate). Either
way, it will have your eyes spinning like pinwheels.
-
That's because nothing you have bought can prepare you for the crazy world
of home computers.
"He was a master of prose: He used simple words and direct sentences to
create the most subtle and touching effects. For more than 30 years, wherever
he worked, Mike Royko was the best newspaper columnist in America."
Naturally, the Royko columns are copyrighted by the Chicago Tribune
and presumeably the Ebert column is copyrighted by the Chicago Sun Times
or Mr. Ebert himself.
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